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Mamaw’s Rolls – Dinner Roll Recipe

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Mamaw’s Rolls are a classic yeast dinner roll recipe just like my great-grandma used to make. They’re so easy to make and you can even be made ahead of time and frozen for later.

Mamaw's Rolls are a classic yeast dinner roll recipe just like my great-grandma used to make. They're so easy to make and you can even be made ahead of time and frozen for later.

I’ve talked before about my great grandmother’s big breakfasts. They were big in every way possible – just like Mamaw’s Cinnamon Rolls.  She’d feed huge crowds of family and extended family. There would be a lot of food and her rolls could almost be categorized as loaves! I’ve never seen a dinner roll that big since. Mamaw’s Rolls were yeast rolls and we’d pile them high with a fried egg, bacon or sausage and kibbe Naya. Mamaw (my great grandmother) passed away about 20 years ago and we talk about this dinner roll recipe every time we reminisce about our favorite Mamaw memories over breakfast or dinner.

MAMAW’S ROLLS
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My cousin recently came to visit and we spent about 2 days working on this recipe.  Mamaw was her grandmother and her dad was taught the recipe at some point.  I had asked her for the recipe awhile back but it’s one of those awesome family recipes that has a palm full of this and a little bigger palm full of that so having her here to help me learn how to make dinner rolls was amazing!  I think we’ve got this figured out for you.  I gave my 8-year-old a roll yesterday after they came out of the oven and he loved them so much he kept going on and on but my favorite quote of his was “they’re beyond amazing!”  He may have earned an extra dessert for that 😉  I loved sharing that with him though because he never met Mamaw, so it was a way to connect him in a real and tangible way to our family history.  THAT is so important to me and what I will be so thankful for this Thanksgiving, as I make all our traditional family dishes, like these homemade dinner rolls and Syrian Rice.

You could make these yeast dinner rolls the traditional size or Mamaw’s size.  A Mamaw size roll is about double the size of a regular roll.  So a pound of flour will get ya 16 rolls.  I made a 2-pound batch because you can make them ahead of time and partially bake them, freeze them, then pull them out to finish anytime I want.  That makes them perfect for Thanksgiving.  There is nothing like a fresh baked roll to go with your Thanksgiving dinner and making them ahead makes it possible without all the fuss.

How to form Mamaw’s Rolls:

  • Form a circle with your fingers

  • Push the dough from underneath through the circle you formed with your fingers.

To for Mamaw's Rolls - Push the dough from underneath through the circle you formed with your fingers.

  • Pinch the bottom edges together on the bottom of the ball and place, pinch side down, on the greased baking tin.

I hope that helps and that you try my Mamaw’s rolls this year.  Enjoy your time with your family and all the delicious food.  What are you thankful for this year?

Want more Thanksgiving dinner recipes?

Tools used to make this Mamaw’s Rolls recipe

Glass Measuring Cup: I have a set of these measuring cups as long as I can remember. They come in 3 different sizes for all your cooking needs!

Mixing Bowl: These mixing bowls get used just about every day at my house. The grip handle makes them easy to hold and the pour spout makes them perfect for batters!

Large Bowl: This mixing bowl is perfect for mixing and serving. I love how big it is! I can use it for anything and everything.

Disposable Pie Plates: These pie plates are so multi-functional! They’re great for pies (of course), but I also use them to freeze rolls, send home dinner guests with leftovers, and craft projects with my boys!

Baking Dish: This baking dish is a must-have for any home cook. I actually have 3 of them in my cupboard, and each dish comes with a lid for storing leftovers or taking your dishes on the go.

Gallon Zip-Top Bag: My kitchen drawer is always stocked with zipper top plastic bags. They’re great for storage, but I find myself using them for everything from deviled eggs to frosting too!

Mamaw's Rolls are a classic yeast dinner roll recipe just like my great-grandma used to make. They're so easy to make and you can even be made ahead of time and frozen for later.

Mamaw's Rolls

These rolls are a classic yeast roll just like Mamaw used to make. Her's were giant but yours don't have to be. They're so easy to make and can be made ahead of time and frozen for later.
Print Recipe Rate Recipe
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Servings: 32
Calories: 219kcal
Author: Aubrey

Ingredients

  • 2 c warm water
  • 2 pkg. Fleischmann's very active dry yeast
  • 2 1/2 t sugar
  • 6 c. bread flour 2 pounds
  • 1 T of salt
  • 2/3 c vegetable oil
  • 6 T butter melted

Instructions

  • mix the water, sugar, and yeast together in a small bowl or measuring glass
  • in a large bowl mix together flour and salt
  • add in vegetable oil and start to mix
  • pour in dissolved yeast mixture and stir with your hands (They're gonna get messy)
  • once it forms a ball dump onto a floured counter and knead
  • knead dough until it becomes smooth
  • you may need to add a tablespoon or two more of water if the dough is too dry
  • once well-combined place dough in a large oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth
  • place in a warm area of the house to rise for about an hour until the dough has doubled in size (I use my laundry room with the dryer running)
  • once doubled if you poke it with your finger it shouldn't push back out
  • punch down dough
  • to form even balls for your rolls split the dough in half then half each of those in half and so on and so on until you have 32 balls*
  • form rolls and place in a grease circular pie plate 7 around and one in a center. (I use disposable pan so I can freeze a lot)
  • Place covered in a warm place and allow to rise again for about an hour
  • preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • brush melted butter on the tops of the risen rolls

Eating right away

  • place in the oven and bake for 20 min or until golden brown

Freeze directions

  • only bake for 10 to 15 minutes until set but not golden brown yet.
  • allow to cool completely
  • cover with foil and place into a gallon sized freezer bag
  • to bake later allow to defrost completely
  • preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  • place in the oven and bake for 10-20 minutes until golden brown

Notes

*If making Mamaw sized rolls divide dough into 16 even rolls and follow all remaining directions

Nutrition

Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 238mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 1.3% | Calcium: 0.8% | Iron: 2.2%
Tried this recipe?Mention @aubrey_realhousemoms or tag #RHFood!

 

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I’m Aubrey. I’m Mom to two little monkeys and married to my best friend. I love finding food that’s easy to make and my family loves! Real Housemoms started as a way to share recipes with friends, now I just have a lot more friends!

Comments

    • Nancy Ciccolella says

      Vegetable oil has been around since the early 1900’s but became popular in the 50’s. Though Crisco shortening was used in baking more often. As was (of course) lard, margarine, and butter. I’m pretty sure margarine tasted more like shortening than butter in the early years.

      Reply

  8. Holly says

    I’m making rolls for my friendsgiving this year, and I want to make them tonight so I can pop them in the oven tomorrow morning. Can I do all the steps up to #13 and then place them in the fridge until the morning?
    thanks!

    Reply

  10. Jenni says

    Hi Aubrey,

    I’d like to ask how many oz in one package of the dry yeast? Because we have different brand in our country. Thanks.

    Reply

  18. Eddie from Ohio says

    Good but kind of disappointed they deflated a bit when brushing the butter on. I’ll drizzle it next time.

    Reply

    • Aubrey Cota says

      Active dry yeast and instant (or rapid-rise) yeast are the two most common yeasts available to us as home bakers. The two yeasts can be used interchangeably in recipes, but active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in water before using while instant yeast can be mixed right into the dough.

      Reply

  22. Liliana says

    Thank you for this and all the recipes on your site! My question regarding these rolls is: how long time you need to knead the dough on the counter before resting? I never know when I should stop.

    Reply

    • Aubrey Cota says

      After all the ingredients are mixed and the dough is ready to knead you will start out with something that is a bit crumbly and sticky, you will want to knead until dough becomes smooth. That can vary as sometimes you may need to add a bit of water, you’ll know when it’s ready as the dough will be easily formed and still has a bit of bounce.

      Reply

  24. Stephanie says

    I’m always confused on when to freeze the tools – before or after the second rise? I’d like to make them the night before and then bake them in the morning for my husbands lunch party. Thanks!

    Reply

  28. Prudence says

    How close together do you place them? – I would really like to bake in a cross shape for Easter – my grand babies love bread?

    Reply

      • Jessica says

        Oh, you shouldn’t leave room in between them? When I made them, I left room in between the rows because I didn’t have any round pans. When they came out, they were really dense. They were good, just dense and not light and airy like I was expecting. Is the space I left in between the reason why they were dense?

        Reply

  30. Nish says

    Hello,

    I’m going to try these out for Easter since my fiance’s grandmother was “mamaw” Looking at the ingredients, you use 2 tablespoons of salt? I just want to make sure the T=tablespoons. I don’t want my bread to be so salty no one eats them.

    Reply

  38. Charlene says

    I just made these they are baking in the oven as I type. I hope they come out good so far so good. My grandmother made these also. I can’t wait to see the results. Will keep you posted. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

  40. Sherry Thacker says

    I made these and they are great. I have never been able to make good rolls but these did wonderful! Thank you so much for the recipe.

    Reply

  42. Kimberly LeForte says

    Can you had shredded cheese to this recipe? Instead of rolls can you make small loaves with it?

    Reply

  44. Mary says

    I want to make your rolls, do you leave them in the greased bowl to push them down, or do you pour them on a floured surface?

    Reply

    • Aubrey Cota says

      In all honesty, I do not have an answer for you. I’ve only ever made them the way my Mamaw made them. I will continue them this way but please feel free to try it in the bread maker and let me know how they turn out!

      Reply

  52. Betty says

    Thanks for this! We tried to recreate our Momma’s rolls! I know this is very close. I fo remember that once she put them in the pan, she’d set them near whatever she was cooking ( and sometimes on top of a pot that was steaming) to get them to rise again before popping them into the oven. Her rolls were fabulous! I’ll do enjoy this recipe! Thanks so much!

    Reply

  54. Jaelyn Campbell says

    I have salted butter, should I still add the salt or use half a teaspoon? Also would it make a huge difference if I used all purpose flour?

    Reply

  56. Claudette Keirstead says

    Made the mamaw rolls and the trick putting the dough through the finger and thumb, so cool.I have been cooking in restaurants for 30 years and never saw that, it saves time and theyre more uniform. I love this recipe, and I have made rolls and bread many times.

    Reply

  58. Maria says

    I love this recipe. I’ve been trying too many recipes but never turned out good until this recipe. I can’t stop eating them. Just one question, can I make them with whole flour?

    Reply

  60. David says

    Hi, could you please tell me how many ounces of yeast in the pack? don’t have that brand here and really want to try these

    Reply

    • Aubrey Cota says

      Honestly, I have never experimented that way. I have only ever used bread flour. Since I don’t have to accommodate those special dietary needs, my question to you is, do you usually have to substitute with Gluten Free Flour and in other recipes does it make a difference?

      Reply

  64. Katie B says

    1st time I made them I wasnt impressed… they were too dense for our liking. I decided to give it another shot because the recipe is SOOO easy. So happy I did! The first time i followed the rise times to a “T”, however it wasnt long enough, and I used plastic wrap to cover. 2nd time I let the initial dough rise for 45 min covered with towel, made my rolls let them rise for a hour or so with a towel covering baked for about 30 or so min. They are PERFECT!!! This recipe is now going to be my go to dinner roll. **(I will add the 1st time around I did not adjust for altitude we are at a little over 6,000)

    Reply

    • Aubrey Cota says

      I can’t even begin to express how much I love this! Thank you for trying it again even though it wasn’t great the first time. I’m so glad to hear they were such a success and they are definitely a staple in our home.

      Reply

  66. James says

    I have made these buns twice now..very light and tasty I do proof my yeast before adding to flower.thank you for sharing this recipe

    Reply

  68. Karen Doll says

    I have made this recipe as is and love the rolls! I decided to try this recipe and make cinnamon rolls. The guys at work thought they were amazing. Reminded me of my Moms. Wonderful memory. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  74. ajgb says

    I was hoping these would be soft somewhat squishy, light airy dinner rolls but they are not. I also feel like I can taste the yeast flavor.

    so if you are looking for a more dense roll with harder outside then this is for you. they were easy to make but not what I was looking for in texture or taste. also my guest for Thanksgiving were unimpressed. I think we were all hoping for the soft airy type.
    I personally am still on the search.

    Reply

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